1. Field of the Invention
Embodiments of the disclosure relate in general to the field of computers and related technologies. In particular, it relates to visually indicating the remaining life of a small form factor pluggable (SFP) optical transceiver module.
2. Description of the Related Art
An optical transceiver is a transmitter and receiver combined in a single module to provide optical-to-electric and electric-to-optical conversion in an optical communication system. Various optical transceivers conform to the Small Form-Factor Pluggable (SFP) MSA (Multi Source Agreement), which is a specification for a common interface for optical modular transceivers. In general, SFP transceivers are designed to support Synchronous Optical Networking (SONET), Fibre Channel, and other communications standards. As typically implemented, an SFP provides an interface from the mother board of a network device, such as a switch or a router, to a fiber optic networking cable.
Current SFP transceivers support data speeds in excess of five gigabits per second (5 Gbs) and future versions will likely support even higher data rates. Because SFP modules are designed to be hot-swappable, they can be easily interchanged and electro-optical or fiber optic networks can be conveniently upgraded and maintained. For example, rather than replacing an entire circuit board containing several optical transceivers, a single module can be removed and replaced for repair or upgrading. Accordingly, substantial costs savings can be realized.
Current SFP modules are capable of processing billions of optical signal pulses before they eventually fail. However, the number of pulses that can be processed by each type of SFP is finite, and furthermore, is generally known through a combination of design specifications and empirical analysis. However, there is currently no way of warning the user when that number is being approached or has been exceeded. As a result, users are not able to reliably determine when an SFPs is likely to fail. In view of the foregoing, there is a need to visually indicate when an SFP is nearing the end of its lifecycle so it can be replaced before it fails.